right now, lawmakers are getting ready to meet again to examine the national highway traffic administration's oversightst auto industry. this after reports of more trouble for toyota. a large portion of our homeless in the washington area are veterans. today a job fare that's working to try to change that. i'm tracy wilkins. we'll have a live report coming up. local students plan to spend their spring break helping out in haiti. the group is already working on providing temporary shelter for victims. news 4 midday begins right now.

good morning, everyone. welcome to news 4 midday. i'm barbara harrison. it's thursday, march 11th, 2010. military veterans are getting help in finding work. they're attending a job fair. the event will run until 4:00 this afternoon. news 4 tracy wilkins joins us from the medical center where things have already kicked off. have they? >> reporter: yes, they have. and we have a lot of people in here taking advantage of this opportunity. these are folks who are living with mental and also physical disabilities. a lot of this due to their service for this country. the idea of having a job fair right here in the lobby of the hospital that's assisting them is one less thing for them to worry about. >> if our population had jobs, then they will not be homeless. >> reporter: this job fair is for veterans. some would consider unemployable due to mental or physical disabilities. today they're getting a chance

to again show what they're capable of. >> i have accounting skills and in addition to that, i have medical administration background. >> reporter: amazing. so a lot to offer. but you need the opportunity. >> exactly. >> reporter: today at the washington, d.c. veterans medical center, more than 40 employers gather looking for vets to fill their needs. >> a lot of them are staing over, looking for new career opportunities. i think for us, it's a great opportunity to take those skill sets again in terms of team work, understanding clients' needs and really having them applied to those types of skills for our organization. >> reporter: companies like suntrust bank, lockheed martin, the fda and secret service are looking for those skills. all of these companies have actual vacancy an czys. >> what we're trying to do is bring both the employer, the veteran, and the active military soldier who will soon be transitioning out of the military and will soon become a veteran all together. >> reporter: for wanda c, former

marine who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, having so many employees in the lobby is a lifesaver. >> by me being disabled and having mobility issues, the employers are right here. instead of you going to them, they're coming to you. and you can just, you know, getting a job is probably better. >> reporter: i hope things go well for wand yachlt for the last two years she has not worked while they got therapy for. that and so now she's trying to re-enter the workforce. you only heard a portion of her skill set. she served as director for government organizations and now trying to start from the ground up on a new job search. so these are the folks who are inside of that building now looking for jobs. and the good news here is, barbara, this is also open to the rest of the community as well. they'll be going on until 4:00 p.m. tracy wilkins, live in northwest. >> we wish her and all the others well. thanks so much for that story, tracy. within the hour, toyota will

be in the spotlight on capitol hill for the fourth time in recent weeks. a house panel will question the national highway save administration's oversight of the recall. we have details of this. elaine? that's right. this latest hearing comes after another rash of recent speeding car claims by toyota owners. they're alsoalking reform. lawmakers will question the head of the national highway traffic safety administration to find out why federal regulators haven't moved any faster on those customer complaints. >> this was a car that was great for 34,000 miles. the last two seconds were really bad. >> you're doing 94 miles an hour and going around a curves and you're missing cars. it's not a play thing. >> congress is considering several reforms that could bring the biggest auto safety changes since the massive firestone tire recall ten years ago.

they may require brake overrides on every new vehicle sold in the united states. other reforms include raising pen olts an cars that fail to recall defective vehicles if a timely manner. they may also determine whether the au safety agency has lived up to its mission of protecting motorists. the nhtsa tied 52 deaths to crashes due too accelerator problems. it may not just be a toyota issue. >> there are sudden acceleration complaints throughout the data base and manufacturers. what we're seeing is unpredented in the number of toyota complaints initially and then after all this in the media and after these have happens happened, you're seeing more and more complaints surface. >> the transportation agency has been investigating potential electronic problems for toyota cars and trucks even though the automaker says there is no evidence of it at all. toyota recalled more than eight million vehicles worldwide. this morning's panel hearing gets under way at 11:30.

back to you. >> all right, thank you, elaine. take a look outside right w. sun is out there. clouds as well, though. the chance of rain still out there for us, veronica johnson? good morning? >> good morning there, barbara. yeah, the chance of rain there. not so well after midnight. so we'll get by today on a dry note. but as you saw, the sunshine, we had a little bit more filtered sunshine earlier. hard to tell now. i think the clouds pretty much have gotten us for the rest of the day. it's still going to be mild. monday we had highs in the low 60s. tuesday, we got up to 64. yesterday one better up to 65. today, i think we'll get to 65 degrees, too. that despite the cloud cover. we do still have a strong wind out of the south. it's out ahead of our upcoming storm system. so while it is going to be dry, there is some heavy rain in our future. because of that heavy rain starting to night, a flood watch for washington county and maryland, west to garret and allegheny. and for the easternmost counties

of west virginia. still even around here i think for friday night and saturday, we may even see some urban flooding around this area. temperatures right now at 53 degrees with wind out of the south. lighter wind at lechlington park. we'll get a strong easterly fetcon saturday. that could contribute to minor tidal flooding. so from the upper 50s to low 60s with cloud cover, there's that flood watch that extends all the way up into western pennsylvania. 60s today. there's a look at the rain. we'll take a look at the extended forecast that will be looking a little better for the beginning of next week coming up in a few minutes. barbara? >> we're going to get an update on our traffic now. let's go to jerry edwards. >> good morning you to. good morning, everyone. relatively quiet. we have a couple late problems toward the tail end of the rush hour. for the most part, things settled down. a late beltway crash on the beltway near braddock road. you can seat remnants of that. but generally speaking, we're recovering nicely between springfield and i-66.

we'll be looking for that midday road work. i'm sure it's there. this is another sore spot with an accident on the inner loop at college park. really jammed things up. the good news is within the last 30 to 45 minutes, those delays finally easing. left side of your screen, the outer loop, that appears to be moving along pretty well. back to you. >> thank you. this morning the department of transportation announced overall traffic fatalities reached the lowest level since the 1950s. there were nearly 34,000 traffic-related deaths in 2009. that is down 8.9% from #2008. that is 10,000 fewer death thanksgiving 2005 and the lowest rate since 1954. while the numbers are encouraging, highway officials say they would like to see that number drop even further. we have breaking news this morning out of chile. two new earthquakes have rocked central chile. the first quake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.1. the second registered at 7.2.

they hit as dignitaries arrived for the inauguration of the president-elect. well, it's been nearly two months since the devastating earthquake hit haiti. more than 200,000 people were killed there. and many more left homeless. now a group of students from the university of maryland will spend their spring break helping those victims. they'll do that by traveling to haiti and teaching people how to build inexpensive temporary homes. megan mcgrath reports. this structure is eight by eight. >> reporter: it's a very modest structure. but compared to what many haitian families are living in now, it will be a great improvement. the technique is called earth bag building. as the name implies, feed bags are filled with dirt and then stacked on top of each other using layers of barbed wire. the result is a very heavy

building that can sustain hurricane-force winds and is also flexible so it will move and shift rather than crumble in an earthquake. >> the barb we're keep the structures together. it goes and serves as a sort of velcro mortar to make it essentially unmoveable. so as i dmemonstratethis thing is pretty solid. >> reporter: university of maryland student stumbled upon the building technique online. he and 20 other students have joined forces with brothers and sisters international. they f to haiti on saturday and will go from town to town teaching communities how to build the houses. paul humphries just got back from haiti and will be returning with the students. he envisions extended families coming together to rebuild what was lost. >> you're going to have some

families that will come together and build each other's house. okay? and it will allow them to be able to do this and possibly you hear like ten families, 15 families working together, they could actually build the 10 houses in a few days. >> the purpose of this trip wasn't to go and save people. it wasn't to go and build things for them. it's to build things with them in solidarity. >> reporter: and there are few students from howard university who are going on this trip as well. instead of partying on a beach somewhere like a lot of other college students, these kids are going to be going to haiti and helping people rebuild their lives. back to you, barbara. >> great idea. thank you. the georgetown location of ben & jerries is holding a same sex wedding reception this afternoon. they co-founder jerry greenfield will be there to toast the newlyweds. tuesday was the first day they could pick up their licenses and actually get married in the district. a d.c. courthouse spokesperson

says this has been a busy week. they received 466 applications this week. the courthouse normally receives only about auto applicatio50 ap. another odd turn in an unusual drama. eric massa. latest fallout over new york's congressman's resignation. plus, who took this man's place at the top of the forbes list of the richest people in the world? and behind the scenes at the kennedy center. what it takes to bring to life some of the most impressive shows in the world. stay with us.

right now, president obama is taking on the economy. you're looking at a live picture where he is to address the export-import bank's annual gathering in northwest washington. he has not arrived yet. during the state of the union. he set a goal of doubling exports over the next five years, a move that would support two million american jobs. today president obama will outline a new initiative designed to work towards that goal. more details remerging about former new york congressman eric massa's days in the navy. the atlantic reports that one of massa's former shipmates says he was notorious for making unwanted advances. the allegations include unwanted massages, then groping. but the incidents were not

officially reported. massa resigned from congress this week amid allegations he groped male staffers. he has insisted his actions were not sexual. he said during a cable tv interview this conduct had been acceptable during his 24 years as a navy officer. massa claimed fellow democrats pushed him out because he opposes their health care reform bill. meanwhile, democrat patrick kennedy is calling for a distraction from the war in afghanistan. he had tough words yesterday. >> we're talking about eric massa 24/7 on the tv. we're talking about war and peace, $3 billion, 1,000 lives. and no press! >> the house rejected a resolution that would force all u.s. troops from afghanistan by the end of the year. bill gates is still the richest man in america but not -- he's one of the richest but not the richest in the world. this year makes carlos slim helu

built our bill gates and warren buffett to top the list of the world's billion airs. his fortune is estimated at $53.5 billion. gates is now second at $53 billion. and warren buffett is third at $47 billion. the minimum net worth, $1.3 billion. well, what kind of day do we have worth a million dollars? maybe not quite. we have clouds out there today. good morning. >> that's right. its no the nearly as pretty and mild combined as it was at the beginning of this week. at least it's still mild. none of that cold, deep winter cold that we had around just a couple weeks ago. you can see we do have the overcast skies. it's a gray day. it's going to get a little on the bleak side by late this evening here. we do have rain that's going to be moving in. but only not until after midnight. this long stretch of temperatures that we've had in the 60s and we should be up to 64, 65 degrees today later.

that is the mildest that it's been since early november. 59 the temperature. we have wind out of the south, southeast right now. 6 65 degrees is the average high for april 10th. glorious spring temperatures all through the mid-atlantic states. again, not saying a lot about our cloud cover that is across the area. we did have a pock of showers associated with a weak low pressure system that moved off the coast. there is rain down along the eastern carolinas and carolina. because of that, those upcoming heavy rains and with all the snow melt, there's a flood watch that's -- that will go into effect starting this evening. all the way through saturday evening. western maryland, washington county, garret, allegheny county and for eastern areas of west virginia and even some flood warnings, too, for the western side of the mountains. the high lands also for tonight

through saturday evening. so let's take a look at that storm system. big area of low pressure that's coming through the nation's midsection. and another low, second low, that's going to form down around the coast. all again producing a lot of rain and even some wind for saturday. so we're dry today with showers really coming after midnight. as we open it up, we take a look at that storm. it is dry today in texas, oklahoma, and arkansas. but let me tell you, there was a lot of storms late yesterday, at least five tornado reports out of arkansas. here you're looking at saline county, arkansas. four people were injured and a handful of homes were destroyed after tornadoes struck yesterday. in saline county, a storm ripped a part of a house roof off. officials say that three people in northern arkansas suffered major injuries after a tornado destroyed their home. this is a real active pattern across the south, likely to contribute to more spring tornadoes. march also known as the stormy month. so that wet weather will be

shifting again on to the east. let me show you also the sunshine state. not so sunny today. not so mild today for any spring breakers, look at all this rain. this is florida where they got already today over 4 1/2 inches of rainfall. and over two inches in atlanta, georgia. again, that's part of that secondary low that's trying to form down across the deep south. so where do we go from here? well, the warm front will continue to lift north. we'll be mild today. then on the other side of the western system tomorrow but with so many clouds and rain showers, well, we're expecting some fog to start in the day. and some light rain for tomorrow morning. cloud cover, cooler temperatures mid and upper 50s for tomorrow. two to three inches expected across the area. so we may see more flood watches going up for our area. 57 and 64 your high. overcast skies. then tomorrow again some fog to start the day before the wind picks up. rains likely friday.

anywhere from a quarter to a half inch. and between one and two ihes from saturday now through sunday. cooling down to the low 50s. more seasonal for sunday. barbara? >> soggy weekend. okay. thank you, veronica. we'll be talking to you again shortly. let'sheck in with jerry now and see how the traffic is moving. it's relatively quiet on this thursday midday. we'll head out and give you an example. we check out the approach to the american legion bridge. right side the outer loop, left side the inner loop. between tyson scorner and the spur, incident free and delay free. head over to virginia and see if the good news continues. it does. doesn't look like any work zone impeding the flow right now. even the gw parkway under 395 moving without significant delay. barbara, back to you. >> thanks, jerry. our time, 11:21. still ahead, i'll take you to the kennedy center and take in why some people say there is no

substitute for seeing a live show. plus, time is running out to take advantage of some summer travel deals. airfares on sale right now. i'll tell you how to take advantage of the savings. and an update on a virginia girl that could not stop sneezing. but first, here's a look at what's hot on nbcwashington.com.

we have rocked with will i am of the black eyed peas and now we're bringing more sound. we're trying to connect you to the sigs ahts and sounds of the washingtonetro area. today we're going to take you to the kennedy center to hear and take in why even in the tough economic times, there's no price too high for seeing and savoring a performance right in front of you, no matter what your taste in music. ♪ >> reporter: music -- in good times and bad. it can be soothing or scintillating to the soul. ♪ no matter how you hear it. >> there are many people who love music and many people who enjoy not only the zis tadistan

they want to come. >> reporter: this russian conductor who some describe as a rock star of the claz iclassic world and brought his set here. >> it's like bringing a whole army here. >> reporter: kennedy center president michael kaiser says tough economic times are when people most need wonderful, spectacular entertainment. ♪ >> it's a very spectacular and big production. it's not something you do every day. but it's something that you should do now and then. >> reporter: who's paying for all this? the government does its part. but the center relies heavily on major private donations. >> i think we learn from each other. i think in the last 100 years, americans did so much in terms of private, individual support. but everyone in the world can learn. everyone.

>> reporter: and half of the $2 million cost to bring war & peace to washington was picked up by sang will dor. >> the whole spirit of the foundation's gift, and this is a vision and the brain child of michael kaiser, was to bring something to the center that the center would normally be able to do without a special benefactor for that project. >> i think russian opera is something that doesn't appeal to a wide sector of the population. but we work very hard to make tickets accessible to students, make them accessible to seniors and people who might want to try this for a first time. >> reporter: the kennedy center counts on $70 million a year in gifts from private patrons for educating and entertaining audiences and serving everyone is the new goal of the center chairman. >> i want to make sure people from all walks of life and all diversity are represented at the kennedy center. also, i want to make sure the kennedy center remains a place that brings people together throughout washington. >> reporter: and while opera is not the chicken soup for

everyone's soul, music with its diversity brings people together, uniting nations and neighborhoods. ♪ >> and throughout history, in every culture, there are always private patrons who kept endowe. i asked what the next presentation will be from the $10 million gift, she said, stay tuned. it's 11:38 now. coming up in our next half hour of news 4 midday, the rain may hold off for one more day. ver veronica johnson has an investigation. and the investigation into what killed corey haim as hollywood and fans mourn his death. a school system with such money issues that they're being forced to close almost half of their schools. we'll have details of that. and get ready to put onour running shoes. the national marathon is a little over a week away. stay with us.

right now, a house panel is meeting to examine the national highway traffic safety administration's oversight of the auto industry. this is just the latest congressional hearing linked to toyota's recall of more than eight million vehicles worldwide. safety groups have accused the safety administration of being too cozy with the japanese automaker. a job fair targeted veterans is under way right now. it is sponsored by the department of veterans affairs. the event runs until 4:00 p.m.

at the d.c. veterans medical center. and right now, 250 world war ii veterans are being honored at the national world war ii memorial on the mall. the ceremony will conclude with a wreath laying ceremony. the event is timed for the premier of the pacific, hbo's miniseries based on the true stories of world war ii marines who fought in the pacific. tom hanks and steven spielberg are among the guests at today's event. time for us to take another look at our weather. let's go to veronica johnson in the storm center 4. >> barbara -- >> beautiful. >> and it's almost time for the tulips and daffodils to nosing out of the ground. although i'm not sure if that is going to happen at my house. my lawn looked rotted and matted. i'm not sure when is the time to feed. if you have questions like i do, why not ask the folks down at the washington home and garden show. it starts tomorrow and it runs right through the weekend. there you have all the answers and including how to make your home more energy efficient. we're all looking to save a

little money, right? hey, nice and mild temperatures for today. the weekend is going to be a good weekend to be inside. it's going to be a little cooler across the area. it's going to be pretty wet. flood watch remains -- i should say goes into effect late this evening. then we'll remain up until saturday evening with all the rain that's due to hit our area. could get between two and three inches by the time the weekend is over. back to you. >> all right, veronica, thank you. we'll get a final check on the midday traffic from jerry edwards. >> if i look hard enough, i'll find traffic delays at lunch time. unfortunately, we have. they are out in northern virginia along i-95 southbound. road work takes away the right lane headed from lorton down to wood bridge. as a result, we're looking at a pretty good sized backup. and they just moved the camera on us. let's switch gears and head downtown. no worries right now. we'r looking pretty good along 14th street, making the trip on up. there is a little bit of road work at the inbound 11th street bridge. but as far as delays go, very

minimal in nature. that's how we're doing. live tv, barbara. back to you. >> thank you. if you were planning to take the chain bridge this weekend, better find a detour. the chain bridge will be closed the next two weekends so the vdot can give it a face lift. the closures start at 8:00 on friday night. the bridge will reopen at 5:00 a.m. on monday morning. the work was supposed to happen in december but the blizzard forced crews to change their plans. get ready to do more with less. that's the message the montgomery county superintendent is sending to teachers this morning. superintendent jerry reese sent a letter to all school staff members on friday. he told them to prepare for the possibility of a transfer or even cuts next year. he also warned of significant reductions in resources which he says are necessary in order to avoid the elimination of hundreds of jobs. >> i guarantee they'll have increase in class size. but they will not have to, we hope, lose their jobs.

or get transferred too many different places to keep the jobs. >> and that school district will have a better idea of which cuts need to be made after march 15th. that's when the county executive submitts his budget recommendations. and school budget cuts are hitting hard across the country, not just montgomery county. this is one of the worst so far, kansas city. they're looking at closing half their public schools to fix aed 50dz million deficit there. about 700 people including almost 300 teachers would lose their jobs. the superintendent says the cuts will keep the system out of bankruptcy. and now to an update on a story you might remember seeing a few weeks ago on news 4 midday, the girl who couldn't stop sneezing. she sneezed thousands of times a day. doctors couldn't figure out why. well, she finally stopped sneezing. that doesn't mean the medical mystery is solved. dr. nancy snyderman reports. >> reporter: it all began with a common cold at the end of

october. lauren johnson was sneezing constantly. >> it's been two weeks now and -- it doesn't stop. >> reporter: it was happening all day, every day. up to 12,000 times a day. the 12-year-old girl only stopped when she was able to sleep. >> nobody really knows how to treat it, what's going to work. >> reporter: her family consulted all kinds of physicians. they tried everything from therapy to hypnosis to allergy testing. the johnsons shared their story here today. >> it became nonstop chronic sneeze. that's when we really first became alarmed a few weeks ago. >> reporter: after her appearance, people from around the world contacted the johnsons hoping to help. including top child development experts who treat disorders like neurological diseases. >> it was ear nose and throat

doctor. >> after an exhausting and sometimes confusing six weeks, they came backn "today" in december to share with us the diagnosis. candidly. >> well, it is an acronym that stands for bigger thing, pediatric autoimmune disorders associated with streptacocus. what happens is following a strep infection, like a strep laryngitis, a child will develop a sudden on set of either ticks or ocd type behavior. >> reporter: because this is a newly recognized disease, treatment can be controversial. but lauren johnson and her family are finally on their way to having some answers. >> that was dr. nancy snyderman reporting. she was treated with intravenous drugs. two weeks ago she gradually stopped sneezing. that doesn't mean she's cured. there is still a risk she could

be exposed to a bacteria that could make the symptoms flair up again. and we are still awaiting the autopsy report to show what killed '80s teen actor corey ham. he had flu like symptoms before he died in los angeles yesterday morning. he was being treated with over-the-counter medicines along with prescription drugs. haim was best known for his role in the 1987 movie, "the lost boys." in recent years, he starred in a reality show with fellow '80s actor corey feldman called "the two coreys." vestigators are awaiting toxicology results. corey haim was 38 years old. well runners everywhere are preparing for the annual suntrust national marathon. the race is a week away and there is still time to sign up. joining us to talk about the marathon is gill rice snyder. good morning. got your running shoes on yet? >> not yet. >> getting there. almost time.

>> getting close. >> how many longer do people have to sign up? >> people can still sign up online until midnight march 14th. and then after that, they can come out and join us at the health and fitness expo at the armory, at the rfk armory. and that will be on march 19th. >> the day before? >> yeah, march 19th. >> and do you need volunteers as well? >> yes. we need a lot of volunteers. it takes about 800 volunteers to make this a successful and safe race. we still need a number of key roles. so anybody, we need course marshals and people in on race day. if anybody interested should go to nationalmarathon.com and go to our home page. >> how many years has the national marathon been run here in washington? >> it's the fifth year. we're growing fast. we'll have close to 11,000 runners this year. >> how many did you have the first year? >> a little under 3,000. >> wow. so it really has grown. >> yes. >> this is one of many that are run across the country, that's right? >> absolutely. >> tell us about that. >> well, i mean a lot of big

cities have marathons. but no other big city has our nation's capital as a backdrop. so we're very unique in that aspect. so we are a destination event. it's grown from a very strong local event into a national and we get quite a good international field as well. we'll have close to 30 people from 30 different countries joining us this year. >> where does the course take the runners? >> it goes by all the monuments. you get the monumental experience of washington, d.c. also, wooer very conscious of making it a complete washington, d.c. experience. so we are -- our runners will experience six of the city's eight wards. we'll go through adams morgan through howard university back down north capital. the marathoners and half marathoners share the course for the first half of the race. then the marathoners will continue to a northern loop over and across the park and then finish back at rfk stadium as well. >> and you generally have as many women runners? >> about 50/50.

>> great. >> yeah. >> fantastic. well, it's always an exciting time. and it's hopefully will be a great day. >> thank you. weather supposed to be nice. >> we look forward to it. i wish i could run this year. >> we still have room. >> every year -- i have to train a little bit, don't i? >> you know what? we actually added a new event. we have a three-person half marathon team relay. so if somebody is not up to running 13.1 or 26.2 miles, can you grab a couple friends. >> well, maybe i can be tempted. >> there you go. >> thank you for coming in to tell us about it. we look forward to hearing the results. >> thank you. i'm not running. i'm actually going to be running the event. >> okay. you'll be busy enough. still ahead on news 4 midday, we'll have the latest on the midday markets after good news released on the job markets today. and we'll get you ready for the weekend. in today's weekend scene, a kid friendly and ecofriendly film festival. stay with us.

okay move over, new york and miami. it turns out onest nation's hottest night spots is right here in d.c. the w hotel's pov bar is the country's best hotel bar. that is the word from the rankings in nightclub and bar magazine. pov scored high marks for the cocktails as well as the impressive point of view, views of the washington skyline. and if you've been thinking about a summer vacation, now is the time to book your flight. there are now big discounts

available for air travelers. it is the big summer fare sale of the year. air-tran sparked the sale. american, dealt yashgs united and usair ways toon followed. the fare as pli for travel extending beyond the summer and into mid-november. if you want to cash in, you'll have to hurry. the sale ends at midnight tonight. the number of newly laid off workers requesting unemployment benefits fell last week. let's check in with courtney reagan. she joins us live with more on that and the rest of the day's business headlines. good morning, courtney. >> good morning. stocks are lower. down about 12 points or so. we've been that way most of the morning. we are off the lows of the day. yesterday we posted small gains. we haven't seen a huge trading range so far this week really at all. but i think investors really looking for news that bailout companies and finances are in better shape. we got some of that yterday which helped a little bit. really welcoming any sign that hard hit firms are trying to get rid of the government's support.

they can really stand on their own two feet again. asian markets were mixed overnight. europe is a touch higher. we did get the unemployment benefits. these are the thubz we gnumbers a weekly basis. unfortunately, the continuing claims did rise. so kind of a mixed picture still for the labor market, one of those really important things as we look at the state of the recession. and that north glass of orange juice is going to start to cost you more. tropicana is raising prices by up to 8%. the company is ao cutting the size of the most popular carton from 64 to 59 ounces. so it's not a gallon anymore but they're keeping the price the same. january's deep freeze really hurt the citrus crops. so much so the usda expected to be 20% smaller than last year. and for the third year in a row, there's a new king at the top of forbes list of the world's richest people. mexican media mogul took over bill gates and warren buffett with an estimate fortune of

$53.5 billion. he is the first american to top the list since 1994 and the first from a developing nation. his net worth surged as has the value of the cell phone business. it really rebounded. he owns the prepaid phone brand. he has his hands in quite a lot of things. as you can see, it is really paying off. back to you. >> all right. thank you very much, courtney. have a great day. and today we want to tell you about a project that is like wednesday's child hopes to find permanent loving homes for children. it's hoped that seeing a simple photograph with the magic, the smile, or the gleam in an eye might catch your eye and make you think about adopting. ♪ this is paris. her photograph is one of many that hang in the heart gallery, a traveling exhibit of close-ups of children and foster care awaiting adoption. >> the heart gallery is a phenomena that started in the west and has moved entirely across the country.

we're not the first and we certainly aren't the last. but we are one of the most successful. >> the freddie mac foundation saw a gallery as a way to give waiting children a chance to finding a forever home. >> this particular outreach has been very successful because we have used wonderful photographers who brought the heart and soul of these kids to light. >> one of the first volunteer photographers is marianne wibel. >> he called me as a photographer. i love to photograph children. the beauty and the sparkle in the eyes in children and the hope and love that radiates from every child is amazing to me. >> a lot of the children i have photographed in foster care have actually never were rarely had their picture taken. so one of the things that really makes a difference in these kids is digital photography. i can show them the back of my camera and say here's what you look like. and when they see a picture that they really like, suddenly their whole demeanor changes. and you can see the twinkle in their eye. and they just -- it's like an

immediate change in their sense of self-esteem. >> the challenge is to find more venues for the gallery. >> they're featured in government buildings and corporate lobbies and community centers. anywhere where we know there will be a lot of potential adoptive parents. >> the photographs have been featured in the heart gallery over 40 have been adopted. like kim. and when that happens, the photographs in the gallery get the very special sign placed. and what that really means is a child has found a place in someone's home and heart forever. >> if you have room in your home and in your heart for a child who is waiting, call our special adoption hotline. you can log on to our home page at nbcwashington.com. and let's take a look outside. it is a very, very cloudy thursday. we've got widespread clouds throughout the area. but it is dry. here's a look at live radar

scanning the area. those green zones, flood watch that goes knee infect later tonight. we are expecting heavy rain along the beach coming up on

we are looking ahead to the weekend scene. we have a reporter from "the washington post." you have a few things to tell us about. one is ecofriendly and kid

friendly festival coming up, is that right? >> the environmental film festival is an ecologically conscious festival. but the really great thing about this is they have a slate of fit mz that are appropriate for children. and one of the filmmakers we talked to, james sadlo, for example, made a series of films that are all about eating healthiment they're computer generated and screening fair at the library through the film festival. >> you are selling popcorn? >> no, not at the library. but the festival continues at several venues like the afi silver and national museum for american indians. there are lots of opportunities to take in movies. it starts on tuesday. >> and from film to music, this year southwest, i understand. >> south side southwest is if austin every year. we don't have to miss out. a lot of the bands that are heading there are coming back. they'll stop in washington to play shows. and we found four bands that we're really high on. all of them have really funny names. but they're really talented.

>> whoa kind of music? >> well, soft talk is like the strokes. they've been on david letterman. they're heading to coach island this summer and they'll be at the black cat later this month. the dumb dumb girls is our favorite name, i think, around the newsroom, is a band of women. and they're playing so of this edgy, fuzzy punk rock. >> and where does that happen? >> they'll be at d.c. 9 on march 25th. and then dam nk. he is outcast. you people really have to check him out. and this saturday he'll be at the warehouse loft. >> sounds like a wonderful variety. >> and finally, you have the answer to t g-40. >> g-40 has a lot in common with artomatic. it is held in a vacancy office building. it is a lot of art. it's four floors of art. but the real big difference is that noational harbor gallery curated the exhibition. so it has a real point of view

on artomatic. this point of view is it's all about urban art. it is graffiti inspired art, art inspired by tattoos and skate board culture. this is your chance to see it. it will be up through march 27th. >> when does it open? >> it already opened. a great time to go is this weekend. there will be live events including sketching event this friday with models. >> wow. that should be interesting. >> thank you, as usual, for telling us about what is coming up. >> thank you. >> and for more ideas for the weekend, long on to around town section of "the washington post".com. it's the going out guide. and that is at "washington post".com. so thank you again. >> thank you. we're working on several stories this afternoon on news 4. first at 4:00 p.m., health concerns for pregnant women. what the new study is saying about weight and the effects it may have on soon to be moms and their off spring. then tonight at 5:00 p.m.,

parents tracking their kids on their cell phones. we'll show you a new tool that lets any concerned mom or dad know exactly where their child is at all times. those stories and all the day's news coming up starting on news 4 at 4:00 p.m. let's get a final check on today's forecast. let's go to ver on yak joonica . >> we're going to soggy conditions by late tomorrow. and for the first part of the weekend, it's going to be really wet. but rain continues even for sunday afternoon, too. 59, 60 degrees. that's where temperatures are all through the area. nice and mild with a southerly wind across the area. but, again, on the radar, it's quiet. don't have any showers showing up as of yet. those showers, i do not expect to see moving in until well after midnight and even then, just some light showers. we'll start the day tomorrow with some fog before the wind picks up. by the time the weekend is finished, we could have two and three inches of rain. flood watches remain up or start

later this evening. washington county over to western maryland. so some pretty heavy rain coming our way, moderate to heavy and windy conditions, too, by the end of the weekend. 65 degrees our high temperature. mostly cloudy skies. fredericksburg may scoot up to 67 to 68 degrees. st. marries, up to 6 o degrees. so there it is. we stay in the 60 degree mark tomorrow. rain is likely. you'll need the umbrella and rain gear. saturday and through the weekend, whatever your weekend plans, hopefully, you know, you can set them to be inside somewhere and not outside. it's going to be, again, plenty wet across the area with rainfall until monday. >> we have to remember the umbrella. >> thank you very much. well, forget match.com. japanese women looking to find mr. right have a new place to go. welcome to the new marriage prep school in tokyo. the schoolrains young women in everything like how to talk, walk, and even bow beautifully. there are also lessons in how to serve food. they get a chance to go on a

simulated date. the hope is that once they graduate they'll be able to impress any man and their future in-laws. there are also classes for men. about 30 students enrolled so far. something tells me that would not be that popular around here. and that's news 4 midday for today. we thank you for being with us and invite you to tune in for more news today at 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, and 11:00. and then tomorrow morning. have a great day.